I arrived in Israel yesterday and, because of some flight cancellations my hotel was overbooked, so the travel company, Via Sabra, who has organized this mission placed me in another boutique Tel Aviv hotel. What was interesting was that the room I had was also the safe room, in case of any emergency, which in Israel means missile alerts. My room was made of complete concrete, with extra thick walls. It was both reassuring and a reminder that Israel is a beautiful place that lives in a tough neighborhood. The good news is that the room was EXTREMELY quiet and I slept really well! This morning, after my favorite Israeli breakfast, I had to repack and head to the hotel I will be at for the remainder of my time in Tel Aviv. I am excited because today I get to spend some quality time with my dear friend, Uri. As I waited downstairs for Uri to pick me up and take me to the hotel before lunch I spent time watching the video monitor in the hotel lobby. There were lots of different photos of people enjoying time in Tel Aviv, the daily schedule for the hotel and then this image:
Another “and” moment - among all of the wonderful things that one can do in Tel Aviv, there is a constant reminder of the heaviness that all Israelis feel. I watched the screen for about 15 minutes as a number of hostage names and photos were shown.
A small cut on my finger meant a trip to a local pharmacy to get some bandaids and ointment and I saw these stickers, another reminder, everywhere you look there are these reminders about October 7 and the everlasting impact on Israel.
Uri and I walked from the new hotel to the Port, a group of shops and restaurants on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch taking in the beauty of the view while sharing stories of our families and reminiscing about trips he and I have led together (get ready Temple Adat Elohim, we are going to be opening registration for next year’s trip SOON!). And, the conversation would often go to October 7 and the resulting war. We discussed the schedule for this trip, and I shared my desire to really listen to whoever we were interacting with, trying to be really present to hear their stories and take in their experiences. And Uri, as he has done so many times, reminded me that to listen is not enough. I need to go back to Thousand Oaks and share the stories and experiences, to be the one who bears witness on behalf of my community.
If you know me, you know I love a good selfie. And for anyone who has traveled with Uri, you know he is the king of selfies. He shared that since October 7, he has not taken selfies. It just doesn’t feel right to him. I am so grateful he made an exception and took this photo with me and I hope and pray he can, one day, go back to taking those selfies with his groups.
Following my time with Uri our mission formally began with a visit to the ANU: Museum of the Jewish People. What in incredible museum. Although we had way too little time there, it details the Jewish people’s history and stories from all over the world. It talks about Jews in all walks of life, music, theatre, movies, literature…. The only thing I didn’t see was a Jewish people in sports exhibit (that doesn’t mean it wasn't there, it only means I did not get to see it!!). There was a whole Jewish comedy section that was really terrific and models of synagogues from all over the world.
Then came the “and” moment. As we waked around the corner we saw part of the exhibit dedicated to October 7 and, more specifically the hostages. And on the floor below was an exhibit that included art and music specifically created around the October 7 attack and a video going through still photographs of Israelis at the funerals of their loved ones. The photos told such a powerful and sorrowful story, one I simply cannot imagine. You could see the people literally reaching for their loved ones who were in coffins. The stories were not about those who were killed, but those who were left behind to deal with the emotions of those who died. Our group stood silently gazing at these photos through our tears. “And” then, as the music changed to another song, the photos began to show the resiliency of the Israelis, the volunteers who would go to cook for the soldiers, and countless donations being collected and distributed to those who needed them. It was a stark contrast to the photos of grief, Israel rolled her sleeves up and got to work. That was quite an “and” moment for me.
Following this all too brief visit to the museum, we made our way to our first t’filah of the trip for me (some who went on the pre-trip had already enjoyed some prayer time together). The photo below is of our service leaders:
It was some of the most beautiful prayer moments as we joined our voices together in solidarity doing what we do best…. Expressing our deepest feelings through prayer and music. It was a profound moment. While I always have meaningful prayer moments with my colleagues, doing this in Israel was something special. “And” then I felt my Apple Watch go off, again and again and again…. I tried to ignore it but simply could not because of the constant notifications that were alerting me. Turns out, at the very moment we were praying for peace, Hezbollah launched 100 rockets at Israel in her north, apparently in response to the fact that the Israeli military was able to take out a senior Hezbollah commander earlier. It was quite the “and” moment. While we were not in any danger, having these alerts happen while we were in Israel, while we were PRAYING in Israel was something unique.
Following this inspiring service we ascended to the rooftop for a dinner and introductory program. Here was our view while eating. Not a bad way to spend some time connecting with friends.
Following our delicious meal we went to a panel discussion that was preceded by our group, for the first time in Israel, singing the traditional Shehechianu together. My eyes filled with tears as we harmonized together creating the most meaningful Shehechianu I have ever experienced. I wish I had thought to record it, but I was too deep in prayer.
The panel discussion was led by Jessica Steinberg, who is the Culture and Lifestyle Editor for the Times of Israel. It included Tal Schneider, a Political Correspondent at the Times of Israel and Haviv Gur, a Senior Analyst at the Times of Israel.
This was more of a briefing of the current situation in Israel. Jessica began by telling us what had happened in Israel this day, and that could have filled an hour right there. We mainly focused on the situation in Gaza, the north, the West Bank (although we spent very little time on this), the current political situation that includes the relationship between the US and Israel.
We dove right in and learned that there is a discrepancy between what is happening tactically in the war on the ground and the perception of the Israeli people. After the Hamas attack of October 7, Israel’s response was similar to other Israeli wars, with the Air Force launching a devastating air campaign that, sadly, resulted in the casualties of many Palestinians and did not destroy a single tunnel. Even though Israel dropped leaflets warning the Palestinians of the impending attack, they simply did not believe that Israel would come into Gaza this way and, even more tragically, Hamas set up checkpoints in order to keep the civilian population of Gaza there.
After this horrible start to the Israeli offensive, the IDF changed strategies, regrouped and began a ground war which dropped the civilian casualty numbers exponentially. And also, because of their experience, when Israel warns of an impending attack, the Palestinians believe them and families are leaving. The places that they are being sent to has aid, food and water for the Palestinians. We also learned that Hamas has said that anyone giving out aid that did not come from Hamas would be “slaughtered.” I have never seen a report of this in our media. Quite simply, as Hamas has said, they want war through their civilian population, because they know that is how they get support from the world.
The truth is that the ground offensive has been incredibly effective and successful, and has reduced the civilian casualties of the Palestinians. However, most Israelis are convinced that they are losing the war and they have a good reason to say this. Israelis are focusing on the 120 hostages. Period and end of conversation. They believe of the 120 hostages still in the hand of Hamas 50 - 60 are still alive, and they are devastated that their government is not doing more to get them home.
We learned that in the north Israel is doing targeted assassinations of Hezbollah commanders. There also seems to be little to no coverage about the 50 - 60 rockets that Hezbollah fires at Israel each day. 100,000 people are evacuated from their homes in the north and have been evacuated for the entirety of the war. Hezbollah fires rockets and anti tank missiles. Turns out the Iron Dome is not effective against the anti tank missiles and the result is there is great destruction in the north. We also learned that Hezbollah also has tunnels, even a larger tunnel system than is found in Gaza. We learned that Hamas took a page out the Hezbollah playbook with October 7.
Can diplomacy help in the north? Well, that is tricky because, much like Hamas, you are negotiating with terrorists. An all out war in the north could be devastating as Hezbollah has 150,000 rockets hidden under villages. And these are not the same rockets that Hamas has. Hezbollah also has lazar guided missiles that can target and are accurate, and Israel expects that, even with their superior defenses, many rockets will overwhelm them and get through. And in Lebanon, if Hezbollah launches an all out attack on Israel, the Lebanese people understand that Lebanon is not a place they would want to be. Their social media shows that they are desperate.
This is all, of course, thanks to Iran, who can launch cruise missiles at Israel from afar. Again, Israel lives in a tough neighborhood.
We spoke about the Israeli government and how they have lost the support of the people. Many Israelis think Netanyahu is running the war to his politics, and this is collapsing national morale. Netanyahu has not taken any accountability for October 7, in fact, he has not even visited the kibbutzim in the south that were destroyed by the hands of the Hamas terrorists because they do not agree with his politics. I think it is a sad statement that I will be visiting these places before the prime minister does. And to go further, the government is planning to take a two month recess, the longest recess in history to my knowledge. The hostages don’t get a recess.
I know this is all so dark and devastating. But there are some rays of light. Culture is coming back to Israel. It started with the painters and then musicians and museums. We are seeing the resiliency of the Israeli people. I have seen this first hand with the energy that is Tel Aviv. We also see the incredible young soldiers, kids doing an unthinkable task. Israel is amazed at their ability and resilience. These are the politicians of the future and that brings great hope to the Israeli people. They are from all walks of life and represent all sides of the political spectrum and they work together. I think we were all grateful to hear these sparks of light amid the darkness of the situation here.
The panel was so grateful that we were there. It seems almost every Israeli we come into contact with thanks for our presence and for bearing witness. They do not take our visit for granted.
It was an emotional and exhausting discussion. Tomorrow is a full day of activities starting very early. I will do my best to update the blog when I return to the hotel tomorrow night. Praying for the release of the hostages and a lasting peace to descend to Israel and beyond.
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